Chapter 23

“Ethan!” Natalie was pinned beneath him, stunned as she looked up into his pain-twisted face, his skin scorched, flames dancing across his back. The smell of burning flesh filled her nose. Rescue workers rushed in, dousing the flames on his back with a fire extinguisher. Ethan’s back was charred and blackened—too horrific to look at. The agony nearly made him pass out, but he held on. The first thing he did was grip Natalie’s arm, scanning her up and down in a panic. “Are…are you okay? Did you get hurt?” His voice was weak but filled with unmistakable worry. Natalie stared at his ruined back, at the cold sweat dotting his brow from enduring the pain, and at the worry in his eyes. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Just then, Derek ran up—he’d gone to check on another area and only rushed back when he heard the commotion. Seeing Ethan’s injuries and how Natalie had been protected, his expression was complicated. But he quickly helped the rescue workers lift Ethan onto a st